Combination leg protector and stadium seat



July 11, 1967 T. E. SHELBY 3,

COMBINATION LEG PROTECTOR AND STADIUM SEAT Filed March 15, 19 65INVENTOR. TED E. SHELBY ENE'YS United States Patent 3,329,971COIVIBINATION LEG PROTECTOR AND STADIUM SEAT Ted E. Shelby, P.O. Box 11,Nicoma Park, Okla. 73066 Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,801 1 Claim.(Cl. 269) This invention relates to a combination stadium seat and legprotector which enhances the comfort of a spectator at sports conductedin a stadium or arena. More particularly, but not by way of limitation,the present invention comprises a stadium cushion having secured alongone edge thereof, a zippered enclosure which may be wrapped around thelegs of a spectator sitting upon the stadium seat.

The spectator sport of football is being increasingly patronized in theUnited States, and baseball continues to be a sport which draws largenumbers of fans. In other countries, such sports as soccer and rugby aremore popular, and like football and baseball, are played in stadiums andarenas and viewed by spectators seated 1n the stadium. In any of thesesports, it is desirable that the spectator be as comfortable as possibleduring the duration of the contest and since .they sometimes last aslong as two hours, it is desirable that the discomfort of hard wooden orconcrete seats be alleviated by cushions or similar devices upon whichthe spectators can sit during the contest. Various types of cushionshave heretofore been provided for this purpose.

In addition to comfort in sitting, it is further desirable that sometype of warmth and protection be provided for the legs and feet of thespectator if the sport is played during a season, or in a climate, whereit is cold and damp. Thus, protection is frequently desirable for eitherthe feet and legs of the spectator where it is cold and dry, or for thetorso and lap of the spectator in the eventuality that it is raining orsnowing during the athletic contest.

The present invention provides a combination stadium seat and legenclosure or protector which provides a comfortable seat and anenclosure for surrounding the legs to enhance the comfort and enjoymentof spectators at athletic contests. The invention can be furtherutilized to provide a rain covering or protective shield for protectingthe upper portion of the body from precipitation during the viewing ofathletic contests.

Broadly described, the present invention comprises a seat portion havingan upper panel and a lower panel interconnected by a side panel, and, incombination with the seat portion, a leg enclosing portion which can beopened to facilitate placing the legs and feet therein and then closedto form an enclosure completely surrounding the legs and feet. The legenclosure portion is attached to one edge of the seat portion, and instoring and carrying the device, the seat may be folded neatly into theleg enclosure portion to form a compact package.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a lap flap is provided andis secured along one of the edges of the leg protector portion adjacentthe open end thereof and is positioned to cover the lap of the spectatorseated upon the seat portion.

It should be noted that in both the basic and the preferred embodimentsof the invention, the leg protector portion of the device canalternatively be extended upwardly tom the seat portion and utilized asa covering and protector for the upper body of the spectator to shieldthe body from rain, snow, sleet or other precipitation. To this end, thedevice has incorporated therein, a fastening device suitable forpermitting the leg protector portion to be closed except for an openingto permit viewing, and is further characterized in having closable iceopenings in each side of the protector portion to permit the arms of thespectator to be extended therethrough.

To more specifically and in greater detail characterize the preferredembodiment of the invention, the combination stadium seat and legprotector of the invention comprises a seat portion of generallyrectangular shape having an upper panel, a lower panel and four sidepanels interconnecting the upper and lower panels. The interior of theseat portion is filled with foam rubber or other suitable soft,resilient material in accordance with conventional practice. Extendingfrom the longitudinal edge formed by the intersection of one of the sidepanels with the lower panel is an elongated, generally rectangular backpanel which constitutes one of the panels included in the leg protectorportion of the device. The back panel has secured to opposedlongitudinal edges thereof, a pair of opposed side panels and furtherhas secured to the lower transverse edge thereof a bottom panel. Abifurcated top panel extends between the side panels and is securedalong its longitudinal edges to the side panels and to the bottom panelof the leg protector portion. Secured to the. upper transverse edge ofthe segmented panels are a pair of lap flap panels and the lap flappanels in turn are provided with a pair of wing panels secured to thelap flap panels along the distally disposed edges thereof. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the section of the bifurcated toppanel and the lap flap panels are joined together by a zipper whichextends parallel to the longitudinal edges of the bifurcated top panelswith the zipper being directionally oriented so as to permit an openingto be left in the segmented top panel to permit the spectator to observethe athletic contest while being protected by the leg protector portionwhen the latter is a used to cover the upper portion of the body.Zippered openings are also provided in the two side panels of the legprotector portion to permit the arms of the spectator to be extendedtherefrom when the invention is used to cover the upper body.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will have becomeapparent that it is an important object of the invention to provide adevice for enhancing the comfort of spectators viewing an outdoorpresentation in a stadium, arena or the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combinationstadium seat and leg protector for use at athletic contests and thelike.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide acombination stadium seat and leg protector which can be easily used tosurround and protect the legs from intense cold, and to simultaneouslyprovide a soft seat for a spectator at athletic contests.

An additional object of .the present invention is to provide acombination stadium seat and leg protector which can be folded into acompact bundle for transport from one location to another.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a combination stadiumcushion and leg protector which, in a dual use, can be used as a stadiumseat and rain protector for the upper portion of the body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination stadiumcushion and leg protector which can be economically constructed and ischaracterized by a long and durable service life.

In addition to the foregoing described objects and advantages,additional objects will become apparent as the following detaileddescription of the invention is read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the combination stadium cushion andleg protector as the same would of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the combination stadium cushion andleg protector illustrating the manner in which the invention may be usedas a rain protector for covering the upper portion of the body of aspectator.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and .par-

ticularly to FIGURE 1, reference character generally designates astadium cushion having a top panel 12, a bottom panel opposite the toppanel and not visible in FIGURE 1, and side panels 14 interconnectingthe top panel 12 and the bottom panel. A suitable soft, resilientmaterial, such as foam rubber, is positioned within the stadium cushion10 according to conventional construction, and one of the side panels 14may be provided with a zipper or other suitable closing device to permitthe foam rubber or other resilient material to be placed inside thecushion.

7 Attached to the longitudinal edge which forms an intersection betweenone of the side panels 14 and the bottom 7 panel of the stadium cushion10 is a back or rear panel 16 of the leg protector portion of theinvention, designated generally by reference character 17. The backpanel 16 has a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal edges (18 and alower transverse edge 20. Connected to each of the opposed longitudinaledges 18 is a generally rectangular side panel 22 which is connectedalong one longitudinal edge to the back panel 16. A second longitudinaledge of each of the side panels 22 is connected to one segment of abifurcated top panel designated generally by reference character 24. Atthe bottom or lower end of the leg protector portion 17, a foot panel 26is connected between the bifurcated top panel 24 and the back panel 16,and extends between and is connected to the side panels 22.

The two sections of the bifurcated top panel 24. are detachablyconnected to each other through a suitable closure member whichpreferably takes the form of a zipper 28 as illustrated in the drawings.The sliding tab 30 of the zipper is oriented to close the zipper fromthe top or upper part of the leg protector portion 17 downwardly towardsthe foot panel 26.

A'thirdportion of the structure included in a preferred embodiment ofthe invention is the lap protector portion designated generally byreference character 32. The lap protector portion includes a pair ofcentral panels 34 which are secured along one transverse edge to theupper transverse edges of the two parts of the bifurcated top panel 24of the leg protector portion 17. 'A second zipper 35 is provided'fo'rjoining the ceutralpanels 34 of the lap flap 32 to each other. Joined tothe lateral edges of each of the central panels 34 is a wing panel 36.The

size and configuration of the central' panels 34 and wing panels 36 issuch that the lap of the spectator is well protected, andthe wing panelsmay be folded beneath the hips of the spectator to assure warmth as wellas protection from spilled beverages and the like.

The primary use of the combination leg protector and stadium seat of theinvention is for providing a soft cushion for the spectator during theathletic contest and a warm covering or protector for the legs. To usethe device, the spectator first unzips the zippers 35 and 28 so as topermit the sections of the bifurcated top panel 24 and the two centralpanels 34 of the lap flap 32 to be pulled apart from each'other. Thelegs of the spectator may then be inserted in the leg protector portionwith the feet resting against the foot panel 26. The two sections of thebifurcated top panel may then be pulled together and the zipper closeddownwardly. If his desired to use the lap flap 32,,the zipper 35 mayalso be closed. On the other hand, the lap flap 32 may be foldeddownwardly so as to leave the lap uncovered.

An alternate or secondary use of the invention is as a rain covering orprotector. This use of the invention is best illustrated in FIGURE 4. Inreferring to FIGURE 4, it will be perceived that the spectator is seatedupon the stadium cushion 14 and the back panel 16 is extended upwardlyalong the back of the spectator. The leg pro.-

tector portion is then used as a covering for the upper body by pullingthe two segments of the bifurcated top panel 24 across the chest of thespectator and zipping the zipper 28 up to a position where a smallopening is left for the face or head of the spectator to permit theathletic contest or the like to be viewed. For the purpose of permittingthe invention to be used in this manner, a pair of small zippers 40 orother suitable fastening devices are provided in the side panels 22 at aposition adapted to permit the arms of the spectator to be passed therethrough so that all of the upper body of the spectator except the armsare protected and surrounded by the leg protector portion of theinvention. It will be noted in referring to FIGURE 4 that the lap flap32 continues to function as a protector and covering for the lap of thespectator when the device is used as a rain protector in the mannerillustrated.

When use of the combination leg protector and stadium seat is finished,it may be compactly folded by folding preferably constructed'of a heavyduck or other water resistant material, but may also be fabricated fromplastic or various treated fabrics which will be substantiallyimpermeable to water, and which will also provide the desired degree ofthermal insulation.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been hereindescribed as exemplary of one way in which the invention can beconstructed and used, it will be readily apparent that many innovationsand modifications can be made in the structure and use without departurefrom the basic principles which underlie the invention; Insofar as thesemodifications continue to rely upon the basic principles which areherein set forth and which underlie the invention, such modificationsare deemed to be circumscribed by the spirit and scope of the inventionexcept as the same may be necessarily limited by the appended claim orreasonable equivalents thereof.

e What is claimed is: i

A device for enhancing the comfort of a spectator observing an outdoorspectacle while seated comprising:

a seat cushion including a generally rectangular top panel, a generallyrectangular bottom panel, 7 side panels extending between andinterconnecting said top and bottom panels, and 7 soft resilientcushioning means between said top posed longitudinal edges and extendingparallel to said back panel and including a pair of substantiallyequi-sized panel sections disposed on opposite sides of the bifurcationin said bifurcated top panel, said bifurcation extending from one of thetransverse edges of said bifurcated top panel parallel to thelongitudinal edges thereof for a major portion of the distance betweensaid transverse edges,

a foot panel interconnecting said other transverse edge of thebifurcated top panel to the transverse edge of said back panel which isopposite the transverse edge of the back panel which is connected tosaid cushion,

a zipper including a sliding tab carried by adjacent edges of saidequi-sized panel sections, said zipper being positioned to join saidpanel sections when said sliding tab is positioned on said adjacentedges at the points thereon closest to the foot panel, and to separatesaid panel sections when said sliding tab is positioned on said adjacentedges at the points thereon furthest away from said foot panel,

a pair of spaced, elongated side panels interconnecting the longitudinaledges of said bifurcated top panel and back panel, said elongated sidepanels each having an opening formed therein to permit the arms of aspectator to be passed therethrough,

zippers for releasably closing each of the arm openings in saidelongated side panels, and

a lap flap secured to said one transverse edge of the bifurcated topanel and dimensioned to cover said cushion, said lap flap comprising apair of oppositely disposed, central panels connected respectively tosaid two opposed sections of said bifurcated panel and adapted to beextended over said cushion, said central panels each including an edgealigned with one of said adjacent edges of 10 said equi-sized panelsections,

a wing panel connected to each of said central panels, and

a zipper for connecting said central panels to each other along theedges thereof which are aligned with said adjacent edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 704,276 7/1902 Sorensen.

886,907 5/1908 Werle 2-69 X 1,211,290 1/1917 Collins 2-69 2,230,689 2/1941 Kemp 2---69 FOREIGN PATENTS 61,961 1/ 1940 Norway.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner.

